“When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put the ways of childhood behind me.“- 1 Corinthians 13:11
No Fear was the inspirational title of the 2015 Washington DC International Christian Church (DCICC) Winter Workshop! The lessons were powerful, the congregation was inspired, and now we enter 2015 better equipped and inspired! Our congregational theme for 2015 will be The Year Of Maturity. However, before we venture into 2015, let us take a moment to gratefully recount some of the incredible miracles and remarkable highlights of 2014!
Unquestionably, 2014 was our best year… yet! At our Bring Your Neighbor Day in January, we had one of our largest attendances to date with 182! Even after sending out so many to strengthen and build 8 of our churches around the world DC had 29 Baptisms, 5 Restored, and 11 disciples placed membership, giving us 45 additions. That’s almost weekly additions!
Highlights of the year included: Our 2014 Winter Workshop with all of the Northeastern United States churches – The Hope of All Nations, our Women’s Day – Extreme Makeover, our serving on the annual day of MERCY, our two incredible Blood Drives for the Red Cross, and our Annual Christmas Service featuring the Funkadelic Faithful Fathers!
Another extraordinary highlight was in August at our Global Leadership Conference (GLC) – ZION’S DREAMERS – where the Spirit gathered almost 2,000 on Sunday morning to witness the Second Commencement Ceremony of the International College of Christian Ministries! 57 received Bachelor’s Degrees, four Master’s Degrees were granted, and one Doctorate Degree!
As we begin The Year of Maturity, let us face it with No Fear! The Leadership of the DC church puts before the Congregation the following prayer goals:
1. “But solid food is for the mature, who by constant use have trained themselves to distinguish good from evil. Therefore, let us leave the elementary teachings of Christ and go on to maturity.” (Hebrews 5:14 – 6:1) Consequently, our first goal is to call every disciple to refocus on their personal relationship with God thus experiencing new heights of faith and deeds. For the month of January, we are encouraging every disciple to study the book of Hebrews, because one of its primary themes is the upward call to maturity.
2. “Make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; and to godliness, brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness, love. For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive…” (2 Peter 1:5-8) During the 2014 year, the DC Church has been privileged to send out 15 of our hardest working disciples to help plant and to strengthen our sister churches around the world! Even with this phenomenal sacrifice we were able to add 45 disciples in 52 weeks. This year our goal is to surpass that with no only weekly additions, but weekly baptisms. This effort will necessitate all of us “making every effort” to become more effective in our discipling to dramatically increase our present number of Bible Talk Leaders. This in turn will not just add but will multiply our disciples. Therefore, our congregational prayer goals include having a record attendance at our January 25th regional Bring Your Neighbor Day and ending 2015 with over “165 disciples for the Lord!”
3. “I myself will gather the remnant of my flock out of all the countries where I have driven them and will bring them back to their pasture, where they will be fruitful and increase in number.” (Jeremiah 23:3) In 2014, so we had a number of remnant (veteran/mature) disciples joined the DC church. In 2015 our goal is for our veterans to be fruitful by taking on the discipling of younger Christians, stepping up to provide shepherding and lead Bible Talks, thus inspiring the other remnant disciples in their sphere of influence who have walked away! Let us pray that even more remnant disciples join us in 2015!
4. “[God] gave some to be… evangelists and some to be [shepherds] and teachers to prepare God’s people for works of service… until we all reach unity in the faith… and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ..” (Ephesians 4:11-13) A significant proportion of the full-time person’s ministry is devoted to maturing and raising-up new Evangelists and Women’s Ministry Leaders. Therefore, we are praying that from LA and around the movement at least five Evangelists and five Women’s Ministry Leaders will be appointed in 2015. As well we are pleading with the Lord that by the end of 2016 at least one Shepherding Couple and one Deacon Couple will be raised up to support each regional area of DC. In addition we have the goal to close the year out with one Ministry couple and 6 Campus/Singles Interns!
5. “It is He whom we proclaim, warning everyone and teaching everyone in all wisdom, so that we may present everyone mature in Christ. For this I toil and struggle with all the energy that He powerfully inspires within me.” (Colossians 1:28-29 NRSV) With the sending-out of so many mature and fruitful disciples over the past few years, it is no surprise that 72% of the DC membership of 117 disciples is composed of new Christians, restorations or place memberships. Subsequently, we have a tremendous opportunity to bring all of them to maturity in Christ. We will continue to work on the retention of these precious new disciples through the accountability of Follow-up Studies, New Christian Orientations, D-groups at Midweek Services, and Spiritual Strengthening.
6. “You will be made rich in every way so that you can be generous on every occasion, and through us your generosity will result in thanksgiving to God.” (2 Corinthians 9:11) Many religious groups spend the majority of their finances on building facilities which in time just become empty monuments. In the DC church – in both our weekly and missions contributions – the vast majority of our finances is spent on supporting Evangelists, Women’s Ministry Leaders and raising up even more full-time leaders. The mature disciple understands that with more full-time leaders come more souls baptized into Christ, thus resulting “in thanksgiving to God.” Therefore, our financial goals this year are to generously increase our pledges to $140,000/week and to give a 20X Missions Contribution on Jun 14th. Excitingly, this year’s missions contribution will allow the Spirit to plant Moscow in February, Manila in June and Stockholm in September! Of course, if unforseen needs arise as they have in some past years, there will be a small Thanksgiving Missions Contribution in November to allow us to “be generous on every occasion.”
7. “But the tax collector stood at a distance. He would not even look up to Heaven, but he beat his breast and said, ‘God, have MERCY on me, a sinner.’” (Luke 18:13) To be mature is to be humble. As the benevolent arm of the SoldOut Movement, the impact of MERCYworldwide now extends to all six populated continents of the world! This year, the DC church will again participate in our movement’s global events of the Day of MERCY in June and the MERCY Christmas Toy Drive in December! Last year, we partnered with the Red Cross for a blood drive where we gave 521 pints! Each pint of blood at retail is worth about $500. Therefore in 2014, we raised for the Red Cross over $250,000! In 2015, we are praying that every USA SoldOut Movement Church will participate in the National MERCY/Red Cross Blood Drive on Saturday, September 19th!
8. “We live by faith, not by sight… so we make it our goal to please Him…” (2 Corinthians 5:7- 9) The mature disciple is constantly striving to “live by faith and not by sight.” He is willing to leave his comfort zone to “do anything, go anywhere and give up everything” to evangelize the nations in this generation! This year to “radicalize” the ICCM students and all other disciples that are striving for maturity, we are calling each of them to attend this coming February’s Central and South American Missions Conference (CSAMC) in Santiago, the African Missions Conference (AMC) in Abidjan in June, the November European Missions Conference (EMC) in London, or the Russian Commonwealth Missions Conference (RCMC) also in the month of November. We are asking all older Christians to make it their goal to not only raise special, but also the money to attend a foreign mission conference in 2015!
9. “Now to Him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to His power that is at work within us, to Him be glory in the church… forever and ever! Amen!” (Ephesians 3:20-21) Our last challenge that will help every DC church member to mature is to have at least one personal prayer goal that is “immeasurably more than [anything] we imagine.” This may include being on a mission team, being selected for the ICCM, becoming a Bible Talk Leader, being selected as a Shepherding or Deacon Couple, or even the conversion or restoration of someone close to you.
In all cultures, the beginning of a new year brings hope and resolutions. Since the world lacks the Spirit’s power to transform, so many “new year’s resolutions” quickly fade. However, the mature disciple continues to “press on towards the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus” and to make “Vows to God.” Let us all embrace The Year Of Maturity. And to God be all the glory!
Ron Harding
Recent Comments